This One Time at Band Camp
by Alexandra Scheltov
Summary: Hot summer nights: the perfect time to fall in love. Everypony at Philharmonica Band Camp seems to be in a relationship. And the best lovers are the ones that seem like they shouldn't even be friends.
1. I Hated You From the Moment I Saw You

The air was humid and abuzz with insects as the sky began to lighten. Dawn was breaking over the great land of Equestria. For many talented youth, today was the first day of Philharmonica Band Camp.

"Mom! Where's my bow?" a gray pony called out, frantically searching for the item she may have lost.

"It's right here, Octavia. Everything's right here. Stop panicking!" her mother demanded.

"I just want to make sure that I have everything. It would be a shame if I forgot something." Octavia replied.

"Tavi, you already double-checked your suitcase last night. You're fine."

"I know, I know. I'll take some deep breaths. I'm so excited for this day! I've been waiting for it all year!"

"I know that you have. It's all that you've been talking about for the past month."

"I'm sorry, but I really do love that place. It's my second home. But, the fact that it's my favorite place in the world doesn't mean that I'm going to miss you any less than I should."

"Aww, Octavia," her mother hugged her. "Now, let's get going. I know that you want to be there as soon as possible."

On the other side of Canterlot, the story was different. A white unicorn with an electric blue mane was getting ready to go to the same camp as Octavia. But, she's couldn't be any less thrilled.

"Dad, are you sure that I have to go to this camp?" the unicorn complained.

"For the millionth time, yes Vinyl! You need to expand your musical knowledge if you want to be a concert pianist." her father explained.

"But, I don't want to play the piano! I want to travel the world as a bass-pounding DJ." Vinyl argued.

"Vinyl, it's your legacy to be a piano player. I am, and so was your grandmother, and her father before that. The list goes on and on. The Scratches are pianists. And as long as you live under my roof, I will have none of that screeching, wub-wub junk. Do you understand?" Mr. Scratch asserted.

"Yes, sir," Vinyl rolled her eyes.

"And no more of that attitude, young lady! I hope that they teach you some manners at this camp."

Unknowingly, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch left at almost the same time for Philharmonica. The camp was located about four hours outside of Canterlot. The trek there was littered with picturesque nature scenes that made the earth pony ecstatic and the unicorn groan.

Octavia unloaded her cart carefully. She would be devastated if anything happened to her beloved cello.

"Goodbye, mom. I love you." Octavia embraced her mother.

"Bye, Tavi! Have a great time at camp." her mother nudged her on the muzzle and sent her off into camp.

Vinyl fought for one last time to get out of camp. "Dad, look at all the bugs out here! I don't want to get eaten alive while being forced to do something I hate."

"Vinyl Six-Inch Scratch, for the last time, you are going!" Mr. Scratch yelled. "Dear Celestia, where does this rebellious side of you come from?"

Vinyl smiled. "Mom, definitely,"

"Ah, yes. That was one of the things that I was hoping you wouldn't get from her. But anyways honey, try to have fun, okay?" her dad patted her on the shoulder.

"I'll try. Bye dad." she hugged him.

"Bye Vinyl," Mr. Scratch set Vinyl's bag on the ground and left.

As parents began to flee the camp, the mares and colts became acquainted with each other. Some reunited with old friends from previous years while the newbies stood around awkwardly, praying that somepony would approach them.

Although it was her third year at Philharmonica, Octavia didn't have anypony to lean on. Most of her friends had graduated from the camp during the previous summer, and the few that were still of age had chosen not to return.

'It should be fine,' she thought. 'It's always nice to meet new people.'

Octavia began to trot around casually, trying to escape the feelings of social nervousness. She failed to pay attention to where she was going and ran straight into Vinyl.

"Hey kid, watch where you're going!" the white unicorn snarled.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry!" Octavia apologized whilst straightening her bow tie.

"You should be. And what's up with that bow tie of yours? This isn't Canterlot, you know." Vinyl informed.

"Hey, bow ties are cool! I'm sorry that I have pride in my appearance."

"Whoa, I'm not the one for the hoity-toity stuff, but hey, at least I don't look like garbage. I just like a good rave every once in a while."

"Ugh, so you're a party pony. I can't stand your type! But I suppose that I'll try to tolerate you. My name is Octavia."

"Vinyl Scratch. It's not a pleasure to meet you. And just so you know, I hate snooty, fancy ponies like you."

"Well, it's nice to know that we both hate each other. I hope that I don't see you around."

At this point, a majority of the campers were becoming impatient. Everypony wanted their amazing summer experience to begin. Soon enough, two ponies emerged from the administrational offices.

"Hello, everypony! My name is Phil, and this is my wife, Monica. As many of you know, we are the proud founders of this camp. We are so glad that you joined us, and we hope that you have a summer to remember." the colt introduced.

"Welcome campers! The first order of business is giving out your bunk assignment. This list is final, and I can't offer any exceptions. Now, in bunk one, we will have Stereo Heart and Six-String. In bunk two, we will have Viola and Brass. In bunk three, we will have Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. In bunk four-." the mare began.

"No!" Vinyl and Octavia shouted simultaneously. "I can't room with her!"

"Sorry girls, but this list was drawn up months ago. It can't be changed. As I was saying…" Monica continued.

Vinyl and Octavia stood there, awestruck. Neither of them could believe that this had happened. They locked eyes, and began to stare at each other with disgust.

This was going to be a long summer.


	2. This Is the Battleground

When Vinyl and Octavia arrived at their cabin, they began a silent war against each other. The cabin was musky, smelling of damp leaves and old instruments. The mares set up their beds on opposite sides of the room.

'Out of all of the people that I could have roomed with, I got stuck with her. Why did they pick me to room with someone so brash?' Octavia wondered.

'Look at her, with her high-class clothes and pretentious instrument. Ugh, I can't stand her already.' Vinyl thought.

The two growled ponies growled at each other as they unpacked. They refused to look directly at one another. Thoughts of how to make each other miserable swirled in their heads.

After a while, Octavia spoke. "Look, I know that we are not very fond of each other. But I've been waiting for this day all year, and I don't want you or anybody else to ruin it for me. So if you want, we can make an agreement."

"Okay, I'm intrigued," Vinyl said half-heartedly.

"Can we at least pretend that we like each other? I want to have as much fun as I can, and that won't be possible if we continue to act like this." Octavia proposed.

"That seems like it could work. But how can we avoid fighting with each other?" Vinyl asked.

"Well, maybe we could freeze each other out. If you pretended like I didn't exist, there could be less of a conflict." Octavia suggested.

"I guess, but that would be kind of hard because we live together and everything. And plus I'm a chatterbox." Vinyl said.

"Then the only option left is to talk things out in a mature manner. But, let's save that for a later date. I need some peace and quiet in my happy place." Octavia stated.

"Fine," Vinyl agreed.

Octavia moved onto her bed and began to meditate. She was almost completely relaxed when her roommate began to blast dubstep.

"Vinyl!" Octavia sprung up. "Turn off that garbage!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to unwind!" Vinyl argued.

"How? This is not calming at all!" Octavia yelled.

"It's hard to explain. I find the high pitched screeches and pounding bass therapeutic." Vinyl said.

"Well, that's going to be a problem. Is there anything that we can agree on?" Octavia cried.

"Ugh, I guess not. How did we get stuck together?" Vinyl groaned.

A bell began to toll from the distance, signifying that it was time for dinner.

"Whatever you do, don't sit with me, okay?" Vinyl demanded.

"Oh, I wouldn't never do that in a million years," Octavia rolled her eyes.

The two ponies trotted down to the mess hall, each scoping out potential places to eat. Vinyl settled on a group of punk-rock looking ponies, while Octavia picked a group of prim-looking ponies. Vinyl bonded with her clique over the mutual fact that none of them wanted to be there. Octavia spent the night chatting about playing in the orchestra and sharp dresswear.

When they came back to the cabin, both mares felt out of place. They had found their niches, and coming back there sent shivers down their spines.

After sitting around for a while, Vinyl broke the awkward silence that encased the room. "So Octavia, how was your night?"

Octavia gave her a harsh glare. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just trying to be friendly. It would be bad if we totally hated each other." Vinyl explained.

"It was quite splendid. I met ponies who are fascinated by the same things as me. It looked like you were enjoying yourself as well." Octavia answered.

"Yeah, I was. I met some cool ponies that like the same music as me. It was rad." Vinyl stated.

Octavia frowned. "Vinyl, I feel uncomfortable here, and you do too. Don't deny it."

"What? No, I'm fine!" Vinyl lied.

"Please, that couldn't be further from the truth. You and I both know that we'd rather be with our own kind. But we're still stuck with each other." Octavia sighed.

"Okay, you're right. This is making me hate camp more that I did before. I found my ponies, but I can't see then as much as I would like to." Vinyl revealed.

"It's like a false sense of hope, isn't it? We can be happy, but only for a short amount of time. Eventually we have to come back to this cabin and accept the fact that we're roommates." Octavia said.

"Yeah, it does. Now, I need to calm down. So get out of my face and let me drop the bass." Vinyl put on her dubstep record.

"I hate that stuff! You know, you'd be more mellow if you listened to the cello." Octavia took out her instrument and started to play. They continued to play for several minutes, both enjoying the mix of orchestral and electronic music.

"This actually sounds kind of nice," Vinyl commented. "But dear Celestia, I'm tired. Can we stop fighting for today and go to sleep?"

"Fine," Octavia put down her bow. "But don't think that we're friends now just because our music sounds nice together."

"Whatever. Good night." Vinyl shut off the lights.


	3. You'll Be Fine, I Will Get Left Behind

The next morning, the two mares got ready in a flash. They couldn't wait to leave one another.

The first breakfast of camp was always the best. This morning, there was vanilla pudding with strawberries and oats. The campers grabbed their trays and joined their new friends.

"Hey Vine! What's cracking?" One of Vinyl's new friends, Steampunk Mayhem, high-hooved her as she sat down.

"Nothing much, Steamy. I still hate this place. Vinyl replied, digging into her food.

"Ugh, me too. I wish that my parents hadn't made me come here." Another one of Vinyl's new friends, Axel, groaned.

"Gosh, I hate my parents sometimes. Especially my mom. She can be so annoying!" Steamy groaned.

"Yeah," Vinyl said half-heartedly. But the truth was she didn't hate her parents. Well, she really only had one parent. Her mom had died several years earlier of a drug overdose. She had been a DJ, just like Vinyl was, and had gotten a bit out of control. But Vinyl had still loved her nonetheless.

A few tables away, Octavia was enjoying the company of her news friends.

"So, Octavia, which of Mozart's symphonies are your favorite?" her new friend, Crescendo, asked.

"Ooh, that's a tough question. I'd have to say the 25th in G minor. I find it to be quite exciting." Octavia responded.

"Ah, a good choice, my friend. I like that one as well." Crescendo stated.

"Mozart's a mighty fine composer. My dad got me into him at a young age." Octavia's other new acquaintance, Fermata, added.

The mentions of dads stung Octavia. She hadn't seen her father since she was a filly. He had just left her mom and her one day without any warning.

"That's cute," Octavia commented somberly.

"It was," Fermata assured. The group went on with their conversation, covering various topics related to orchestra music.

After breakfast, announcements began. Phil stepped up to the podium. "Good morning, everypony! Are you liking camp so far?"

A chorus of cheers broke out, as if these ponies were at a rock concert.

"That's what I like to hear! Today, we are going to be signing up for classes." Phil informed.

"Yes. Here at Philharmonica Band Camp, there are dozens of activities that you can choose from. Some deal with the instruments that you play while others are more general. Sign up sheets are on the table in front of me. Now if you line up in an orderly fashion-," Monica announced. She was interrupted by campers springing out of their seats. The ponies began to pour to the front of the room, fighting to get into the classes that they wanted.

Both Vinyl and Octavia waited until the crowd died down to pick their classes. When they arrived, the only two available were Music Theory and History of the Flute.

"I am not taking flute class," Vinyl proclaimed.

"Neither am I. It would be stupid because I don't play the flute, nor do I care for its history. So, I guess that we'll have to take the same class." Octavia sighed. "How does this keep happening?"

"Maybe the universe wants us to be friends with each other," Vinyl theorized.

Octavia snorted. "That's ridiculous! We couldn't be more different."

Vinyl laughed nervously. "Hey, I was just trying to make a joke. This does suck."

"Well mares and colts, I hope that you're satisfied with your choice. Classes with start this afternoon." Phil declared

The two mares groaned in frustration. Music Theory was the last thing that either of them wanted to do right. They were going to go crazy before these two weeks were over.


	4. Bitter Sweet Symphony

The next few days were pretty calm. The kids were assimilating rapidly. I wasn't long before everybody was part of a clique.

Vinyl and Octavia still couldn't stand each other. Every time one of them tried to warm up to the other, they got shot down. They constantly made vitriolic remarks towards each other.

Music theory had been rather boring for both ponies. Octavia was already well-versed in the subject, as her cello instructor had made her take classes on it. Vinyl had no interest in it at all. Knowing the names of scale degrees and looking for chord structures would not help her become a world famous DJ.

'Ugh, get me out of here!' Octavia and Vinyl thought simultaneously. They were sitting on opposite sides of the room, of course, both trying desperately to stay awake.

"Now class, can anyone tell me what the tritone is?" the gray-haired teacher asked. She pointed at Vinyl. "What about you, dear?"

"If it doesn't involve bass, then I don't care," Vinyl replied passively.

The teacher scowled. "How rude! You signed up for this class to learn music theory."

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't. I signed up for this class because it was the only one left. Frankly, I don't give a damn about music theory. Most of the people in this room probably agree with me."

The other members of the class cheered in agreement. Octavia even nodded and cracked a smile.

"Young lady, I assure you that there are ponies who-," the teacher began.

"No, there aren't! Your class is bad, and you should feel bad." Octavia argued.

"How dare you! Phil and Monica are going to hear about this!" the teacher declared before storming out of the room.

"Thank Celestia that torture is over. Well, I'm bailing." Vinyl announced. Most of the class followed her out of the room.

The following evening start out typically. The mares and colts divided into their little groups and began to munch on dinner. There, the gossip began to fly.

"So Octavia, we heard that you made the music theory teacher cry," Crescendo stated.

"No, that's not true at all! That Scratch girl was the one who started it. I may have had a comment or two, but that's it." Octavia partially lied.

"Oh Octavia, how unsophisticated of you! Why would you ever get involved with the affairs of that unicorn? That's no way to get into a good music school." Fermata added, flipping her mane pretentiously.

"Hey, she's not awful all the time!" Octavia stated. Honestly, she was proud of Vinyl for what she had done. Besides, she saw no need to be fancy all the time. Still, she felt guilty about the entire thing. "I don't know what I was thinking."

On the other side of the cafeteria, Vinyl and her friends were conversing over dinner. "So Vinyl, we heard about your little spat today," Axel said.

"Really? Does everyone around here know about it?" Vinyl asked.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't be ashamed. What you did sounds totally epic." Steamy commented.

"It was pretty cool," Vinyl grinned.

A voice came on over the loudspeaker. "Would Octavia and Vinyl Scratch please report to the podium? Thank you."

Feelings of guilt began to consume the ponies' bodies. They slowly got up and began their walks of shame to the wooden box. The room became dead silent, and all eyes were glued on the two mares.

"Everypony, please go back to talking amongst yourselves. This does not concern you." Monica ordered. She turned to the mares. "Now, do you know why I called you up here?"

"To reward us for being good campers?" Vinyl said, laughing nervously.

"Quite the contrary. Your music theory teacher quit her job today. Would either of you have any idea why?" Monica inquired.

"Uh, she got sick?" Octavia replied sheepishly.

"Well, sort of. She got tired of always being mocked. Kids were always talking about how much they dislike her class. It's been going on for a long time. But do you know what made her reach a breaking point?" she pointed to Vinyl. "You, Vinyl Scratch. What you said to her was incredibly disrespectful. This act is inexcusable, and I have no choice but to give you meal detention."

"That's not fair! I wasn't the only one involved in this." Vinyl argued.

"Well, that's why we brought Octavia up here to," Monica turned to the gray earth pony. "Did you have anything to do with this mess, honestly?"

A devious smirk grew on Octavia's face. "No Monica, I wasn't involved in any way! I swear on my mother's life."

"That's all the proof that I need. Octavia, you're free to go. Vinyl, I'll see you up here for breakfast tomorrow." Monica said.

"She's lying," Vinyl muttered.

"Pardon?" Monica asked.

"She's lying!" Vinyl yelled. She picked up some yogurt from a nearby tray and dumped in Octavia's head. "That's what you deserve!"

"Ugh, I can't believe you!" Octavia reacted. "We're you raised by wolves?"

"Oh, I'm sorry that we can't all have rich daddies to give us manners lessons!" Vinyl retorted.

"Okay, that's it," Octavia grabbed mashed potatoes and smeared them onto Vinyl's face. The two mares began swinging at each other violently, using any food that they could get their hooves on as weapons.

"Food fight!" someone screamed. Those two words called all Hell to break loose. Globs of mashed potatoes, yogurt, and ice cream flew through the air. Tables were flipped to their sides and used as shields.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, stop that this instant!" Phil commanded. The campers ignored his plea, becoming more furious.

Food started to coat the place. It stuck to every nook and cranny of the room, even the ceiling. Everypony was covered with it, making them look like they were wearing clothing made of the slippery substances.

"Vinyl, get away from me!" Octavia growled.

"Not until you admit what you did!" Vinyl said through gritted teeth.

Octavia groaned. "I shouldn't be blamed for this! I'm not the one who started it."

"But you can't let this all fall on me! You had something to do with it!" Vinyl shouted.

"ENOUGH!" Monica screamed. "Octavia, is that true? Did you actually have something to do with the teacher thing?"

"Yes," Octavia answered, bowing her head in shame.

"I am thoroughly disappointed in both of you. I have no choice but to confine the two of you to your cabin for the next five days." Monica ordered.

A look of devastation appeared on the ponies' faces. They didn't dare try to argue because they knew that would only make things worse. The slowly left the mess hall without looking at anyone or saying a word.


End file.
